This evening just became an impromptu Face the Evil Fridge Monster of Doom night. Instead of spending my Monday chillin’ out, maxin’ and relaxin’ all cool, I was wading through a sea of tupperware containers, tossing old roast beef, wilted salads, and moldy yoghurt. Did you know that spaghetti squash, instead of molding in the traditional blue-green, grows a vibrant pink fuzz when left in the fridge for several months? Science! You’re welcome!

Aside from the fact that many of my leftovers were prepared to defend themselves by emitting a toxic gas when I peeled back the lid, cleaning out the fridge felt good, especially since I’ve been meaning to do it for awhile. In particular, my epic failure to exercise or eat healthy as of late is the excuse I’ve needed to brave the bowels of my refrigerator.

Lately, I’ve been getting a head start on holiday gorging; my boyfriend’s mother is a very talented Swedish baker, and I have been happily glutting myself on cookies made entirely of butter and sugar.  Mmmmm. That being said, post-cookie symptom leaves me seriously craving something green, and I don’t mean my green moldy pasta. Having a freshly cleaned out fridge is like having a blank canvas, and filling it with fresh veggies provides bursts of nutritional inspiration. I’m much more likely to eat healthy when my only options are clearly visible and not buried behind leftovers that I swear I’ll eat later in the week (yeah right).

To help remain motivated, I recently found this amazing site, compliments of the Asian Pear. It’s called My Fitness Pal. You can check out my profile right here. Essentially, the site allows you to program your ideal nutritional intake (or, based on your height, weight, and age, will make recommendations for you), and you record your daily diet to track your weight loss, muscle gain, whatever your current target is. This is the kind of tool I’ve been waiting for; the nutritional and strength training equivalent of SportyPal or MapMyRun.

Blank Fridge + My Fitness Pal Stats = this week’s motivation. Tracking every bit of food that I put in my tummy will make me hesitate before picking up a gingerbread doughnut from Timmy’s. It has also pointed out to me that I need to increase my protein intake … sooooo, scrambled eggs and protein smoothie for brekkie tomorrow. That is, if I can muster enough willpower to ignore all the tupperware containers marinating in dishsoap on my countertops.

How do you track your nutritional progress?